The Monarchs of Old Dominion are set to welcome their conference foe Marshall Thundering Herd to Foreman Field at S.B. Ballard Stadium. This afternoon game will get underway at 3:30 p.m. ET and fans can watch the action on STAD.
Betting Preview: Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Old Dominion Monarchs
The Thundering Herd are down 0.6 units so far and 1-4 against the spread (ATS). The team’s posted an O/U record of 3-2.
The disappointing Monarchs have lost 6.4 units this season. The team is 2-4 ATS and the over’s hit in five of its games.
The Thundering Herd have gone 3-2 straight up (SU), including 1-1 SU against conference opponents. The Monarchs are 1-5 SU overall and 0-3 SU in conference play.
The Thundering Herd lost to Middle Tennessee 34-24 in a matchup where the passing attack left much to be desired as Alex Thomson completed just 17-of-34 passes for 173 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. Tyler King (165 yards on 27 rushes) and Anthony Anderson (77 yards on 17 carries, one TD) led the running attack while Tyre Brady (six receptions, 58 yards) and Obi Obialo (six catches, 49 yards, one TD) manned the receiving duties in the defeat.
Old Dominion just came up short in a 52-33 shootout to Florida Atlantic. The team’s defense allowed the Owls to pass for 339 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 266 yards and five scores. Devin Singletary was a force to be reckoned with, putting up 168 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts for Florida Atlantic. For Old Dominion, Blake LaRussa completed 39-of-51 passes for 390 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. Kesean Strong (99 yards on 21 rush attempts, three TDs) handled the running game as Travis Fulgham (10 receptions, 151 yards, one TD) and Jonathan Duhart (eight catches, 100 yards) led the pass-catching corps in the loss.
In terms of offensive play-calling, each squad sports a similar run-pass ratio on the season. Marshall has run the ball on 47.4 percent of its offensive possessions while Old Dominion has an overall rush percentage of 45.7. The Thundering Herd have produced 127.2 rush yards/game (including 161.0 per game versus Conference USA opponents) and have five touchdowns on the ground this year. The Monarchs are averaging 103.5 rush yards per game (111.3 in conference) and have 12 total rushing TDs.
Judging by the early season results, it appears that the Thundering Herd could own an advantage when it comes to effectiveness in the ground game. Their backfield has produced 3.7 yards per carry while the defense is allowing 2.9 YPC to opponents. The Monarchs have recorded 3.1 yards per carry and given up a YPC of 5.2 to opponents.
The Thundering Herd offense has averaged 256.2 yards through the air overall (230.5 per game versus conference opposition) and has 10 passing TDs so far. The Monarchs have put up 304.2 pass yards per outing (303 in the CUSA) and have 11 total pass scores.
Marshall appears to have the upper hand in both defensive facets. The team’s let opponents run for an average of 103.0 yards and pass for 272.4 yards per game. The Old Dominion defense has given up 298.2 yards per game to opposing passers and 226.8 yards per game on the ground. The Thundering Herd are giving up an adjusted net yards per pass attempt (ANY/A) of only 6.12 to opponents, while the Monarchs have allowed an 8.45 ANY/A.
Passing-wise, Green has put up 1,108 yards this season, and has connected on 55 percent of his 158 attempts with eight scores through the air and six interceptions. He has a 6.02 adjusted net yards per pass attempt, including 4.80 over the last two outings.
Tyre Brady, Tyler King and Obi Obialo have combined to account for 556 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns over the last two outings.
Blake LaRussa has completed 81-of-119 passes for 1,068 yards, seven TDs and two INTs for Old Dominion. His ANY/A sits at 8.63 for the season and 5.26 over his last two games.
Jonathan Duhart, Travis Fulgham and Kesean Strong have combined to account for 555 yards from scrimmage and seven touchdowns over the last two games.
When these two schools met last year, Marshall won soundly 35-3.
Marshall Thundering Herd vs. Old Dominion Monarchs NCAA Prediction
SU Winner: Marshall
Team Betting Trends
- The Old Dominion offense has lost two fumbles this season while Marshall has lost seven.
- The Marshall defense has 17 sacks on the year while Old Dominion has just 10.
- As a team, Marshall has averaged 3.48148148148148 yards per carry over its last three games and 3.7 over its last two.
- Old Dominion has averaged 2.6 yards per carry over its last three contests and 2.0 over its last two.
- Over its last three matchups, Old Dominion is 2-1 ATS and the over cashed in each of those three.
- Marshall was favored by 3 points in its last game and the Over/Under was set at 51. The over cashed and Marshall did not cover in the 34-24 loss to Middle Tennessee.
- Over its last three matches, Marshall is 0-3 ATS and the over cashed in two of those three.
- Old Dominion was favored by 14 points in its last matchup and the O/U was set at 63.5. The over cashed and Old Dominion did not cover in the team’s 52-33 loss to Florida Atlantic.
